TOKYO, Jul 23 (Kyodo/APP): The approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet dipped to just under 23 percent, the lowest level since he took office in October, a Kyodo News poll showed Tuesday, underscoring his continuing plight following his ruling coalition’s major setback in the weekend House of Councillors election.

Although Ishiba is facing growing calls from within his Liberal Democratic Party to step down to take responsibility for Sunday’s election drubbing, respondents of the survey were divided on the issue, with 51.6 percent demanding his resignation and 45.8 percent thinking otherwise.

On policies regarding foreigners, which took center stage in election campaigning amid a growing number of workers and tourists from overseas, 65.6 percent backed stricter regulations on issues such as immigration control and real estate acquisition, while 26.7 percent did not want any changes, and 4.4 percent called for easing the regulations.

The telephone survey was conducted Monday and Tuesday, after the latest national election resulted in the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito losing control of both chambers of parliament, allowing smaller opposition forces, including the right-leaning populist Sanseito party, to expand their presence.

Ishiba has expressed his intention to stay in office to avoid a political stalemate in the midst of public struggles over high prices and negotiations with the United States on tariffs as a deadline nears on Aug. 1.

The Ishiba Cabinet’s approval rating plunged 9.6 points from June to 22.9 percent, surpassing the previous low of 27.4 percent in May. The disapproval rate climbed 14.9 points to 65.8 percent.

Support for the LDP also fell 9.0 points to 20.7 percent, the lowest level since Junichiro Koizumi became prime minister in 2001, though the figures are based on different survey methods and exclude the period when the LDP was out of power. Koizumi, who led the party at the time, enjoyed broad Cabinet support during his five-year tenure.

The survey also showed that 36.2 percent of respondents, the largest group, want the nation to be steered by “a new framework through political realignment,” followed by 28.0 percent who hope some opposition parties will join the LDP-Komeito coalition.

The long-ruling LDP still remains the largest force in parliament. But a political deadlock is expected without opposition support, as the upper house, although less powerful than the House of Representatives, is a crucial part of the process to ensure laws and policies are enacted and advanced.

It is the first time since 1994 that Japan’s ruling parties have fallen short of a majority control of both houses.

In a multiple-choice question on which opposition parties the LDP-Komeito coalition should seek closer cooperation with, 35.1 percent selected the Democratic Party for the People, which gained momentum in the October lower house election and again in Sunday’s upper house poll.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party, was chosen by 21.9 percent, followed by 20.4 percent who picked Sanseito, a fledgling party that rose to prominence via YouTube. It has drawn voters with its “Japanese First” slogan and warnings of what it calls a “silent invasion” by foreigners.

When casting their ballots, 42.3 percent of respondents said they considered each party’s policies on foreigners, while 56.0 percent said they did not.

As parties ramp up their use of social media and video platforms for campaigning, 64.0 percent said the information did not significantly influence their voting behavior, compared with 34.9 percent who said it did.

Asked about the most important issue in the election, 32.2 percent of respondents cited measures to address rising prices, followed by 18.7 percent who chose social security, including pensions, and 11.4 percent who pointed to economic conditions and employment.

By political party, support for the CDPJ rose to 10.8 percent, up from 9.2 percent in the June survey.

Support for the Japan Innovation Party, the second-largest opposition force in the lower house, stood at 5.2 percent, falling behind the DPP, which saw its backing rise to 15.1 percent.

Support for Sanseito surged to 11.8 percent from 3.7 percent. Meanwhile, the share of respondents who identified with no political party dropped to 12.3 percent from 21.1 percent.

For the survey, 516 randomly selected households with eligible voters and 3,217 mobile phone numbers were called, yielding responses from 424 household members and 625 mobile phone users.